James Hetfield on Metallica: ‘The Band Can Still Fall Apart at Any Moment’

Metallica have, perhaps, revealed how they’re able to write music that sounds so frustrated and angry after all these years; there’s still friction between some of the band members. They have been known to travel in separate buses, spend most of their free time away from one another and still argue when they’re together.

They have been known to travel in separate buses, spend most of their free time away from one another and sometimes argue when they’re together.

“The band can still pretty much fall apart at any moment,” frontman James Hetfield admitted in a new interview with Rolling Stone. “But we don’t want that. We know too much now. It’s come with time and growing up together, going through tons of s— together and possibly maturing”.

Hetfield added that over time the members have learned how to instantly infuriate one another, but these days they try to avoid going there.

“We know where all the nuclear buttons are with each other, but we don’t push ’em,” he said. “We love what we do, and we want to keep it going.”

Sometimes, however, they can’t resist taking potshots at one another. After drummer Lars Ulrich falls off the beat on the song “Wherever I May Roam,” Hetfield snapped, “Why do you always do that?

Asked later about the incident, the vocalist and guitarist laughed. “What I said was a nice way of saying, “What the hell are you doing?” he said.

Metallica are currently in the middle of the North American dates of their Worldwired tour, which runs through, August 16 in Edmonton. Then, the band will head to Europe. Dates are scheduled through May 18 in Helsinki, Finland.